Colombia’s congressmen make 40 times the country’s minimum wage
Colombia’s congressmen make 40 times the country’s minimum wage
Posted by Grace Brown on Sep 15, 2015
Of all four Pacific Alliance countries, Colombia spends most on its congressional representatives, despite the South American country’s low wages.
According to a report published on Monday by economic newspaper La Republica, Colombia’s congressmen receive a total of nearly $2,1 million per month in salaries, almost double the total of Chile, whose whose congressmen have the highest individual salaries, but cost $1,2 million per month.
Granted, Colombia has the most congressmen at 266 (compared with Chile’s 120), but Colombia’s congressmen are among the top three in the Pacific Alliance in terms of the salaries they receive at US$8,217 per month, excluding compensation for travel and other financial perks. The salary alone is more than 40 times the country’s minimum wage of $205 (COP644,336), a disparity which has long caused frustration among Colombians whose Congress is infamous for its ineffectiveness and corruption.
“The legislative branch is the one to establish the parameters of these salaries. What is inconsistent is that this faculty grants the beneficiaries themselves the possibility to establish their own fees,” said Diego Cediel, political expert from the La Sabana University in Bogota.
More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombias-congressmen-make-40-times-the-countrys-minimum-wage/